The Monmouth Regional Chamber of Commerce (MRCC), through its Education Foundation, congratulates and celebrates the winners of its recent Team Challenge Ethics Competition and Essay Contest.
Monmouth County Commissioner Director, Tom Arnone, was the chief guest for the award ceremony, and all participating schools received a certificate of participation from the county commissioner’s office.
The results included: 1st Place — Marlboro High School; 2nd Place — Colts Neck High School; 3rd Place — Howell High School; Students’ Choice Award — Colts Neck High School.
The event saw active participation and a notable presence from the county’s education and administration sector. Denise King, President, and Sarah Rechenbecker, 1st Vice President, of the Monmouth County Education Association (MCEA), attended the event and expressed admiration for the students’ presentations.
Ross Licitra, Monmouth County Commissioner, along with Kimberly Flanagan, AVP & Community Banking Officer of First Commerce Bank in Freehold; Vincent Scanelli, owner of Colts Neck Agency; and Bill Woodward, Board Member of the Freehold Sunrise Optimist Club, were the esteemed judges for the event. The MRCC sincerely thanks all the judges for their time and contributions to the success of the event.
Adding further incentive and opportunity, two $500 scholarships, courtesy of the Vasa Foundation, were awarded to the top two essays of the Team Challenge Essay Contest. These scholarships were given to seniors who had the chance to write essays on their knowledge regarding business leadership. The essay topics were on the use of social media and its relation to business etiquette, and the ethical dilemma posed by government entities regulating social media platforms. The recipients of the $500 scholarships were Brielle Bravaco from Colts Neck High School and Sayuri Shree from Freehold Borough High School, a resident of Marlboro.
The MRCC proudly announces the 2023 Team Challenge Ethics Competition which marks the 20th year of this annual tradition, which began in 2003. It’s set to take place on December 8, 2023, at Brookdale Community College.
About Team Challenge
This initiative aims to engage local high school students in team building, creative problem-solving, and ethical decision-making within real-world business contexts.
Every year, approximately 100 students team up to dissect, discuss, and develop presentations on contemporary business challenges. Team Challenge begins in September with an initial meeting involving the teachers who supervise the extracurricular program. Following this, another day in September is dedicated to an orientation session, including a mock presentation to provide practice for the students. Over the next two months, the teams get ample time to strategize and design their challenge.
The competitive event culminates with presentations of these challenges in front of a panel of judges from the business community, who then select the top three winning schools. In addition to these recognitions, the special Student’s Choice Award allows students to vote for their favorite presentations.